Mental exercises are necessary …

Nontraditional students are a tradition at NCU. But even here, where the “mid-career professional” and lifelong learner is a demographic mainstay, Peter Rast stands out.

A casual observer might think that Rast already has more than enough to do to keep him busy. To say he has a job is an understatement —he’s a private investigator and an expert witness who runs a collision forensics consulting firm. And he lectures to professional groups and teaches at the college level.

The man has hobbies, too — a kayaker and a private pilot, Rast also volunteers with the Civil Air Patrol as incident commander, flight instructor, check commander and mission pilot. Add to that, Rast is an author, extensively published in scholarly and trade journals. There are two other things Rast does: He’s retired — a retired deputy sheriff/coroner, no less — and he is a student, a Business PhD Learner specializing in Criminal Justice Administration.

Peter Rast (right) flies in to visit with
Mentor Daljit Singh about his dissertation.

Rast had two master’s degrees when he decided to return to school. He has an MBA from Pepperdine and an MS in Forensic Sciences from the University of New Haven.

“Before I applied to NCU,” Rast says, “I looked at several well-known online PhD programs. I picked NCU, having stumbled across an ad in the Economist or Forbes, because cost was reasonable and study was self-paced and online.

“Another reason I chose NCU was the CJ concentration,” he adds.

“I think I made a good choice. I take one course at a time so I have time for my forensic engineering consulting business, kayaking, flying, Civil Air Patrol, and watching CSI on TV.”

These frivolous, non-scholastic activities and the one-course-at-a-time approach to his doctorate aren’t exactly holding Rast back. “My forensic engineering consulting work regularly involves criminal matters,” he says, “So much of the CJ aspect of my PhD work is valuable and applicable to my consulting work.”

Rast praises the NCU academic culture. “I've found the course work to be challenging,” he notes. “Some of my work has been of sufficient quality to be published in recognized journals. My mentors have been of uniformly high quality, usually easily accessible, and generally very helpful. I'll be asking several of them to sit on my dissertation committee.”

But why does Rast continue his studies well past what most people would consider necessary? “I believe mental exercises such as studying and learning are necessary for my peace of mind, mental acuity, and longevity.

“Goals are also important to keep one on track,” he concludes. “My NCU work handles all these chores nicely.”